Interview: Artpark hosts legendary Charlie Daniels Band on Sept. 4

by jmaloni

Thu, Aug 30th 2012 10:35 pm

The Charlie Daniels Band headlines the Sept. 4 "Tuesday in the Park" concert at Artpark.

Preview by Joshua Maloni

Artpark
& Company has hosted many notable musicians as part of its
"Tuesday in the Park" concert series. The Lewiston performing
arts venue has hosted hit-makers, Grammy winners, television and film
actors and even a "Dancing with the Stars" contestant.

But
next week's headliner is quite possibly the only one to have had an
entire museum dedicated to his life and career.

For
10 years, the Charlie Daniels Museum was open in the heart of
Nashville, Tenn. Each year, thousands of visitors (including this
writer) ventured into the 2nd Avenue treasury, which housed priceless
pieces of a career that includes collaborations with Elvis and Bob
Dylan, 20 million records sold, and a membership in the Grand Ole
Opry.

"It
made me feel great," Daniels said in a phone interview. "To be
part of (visitors') Nashville experience I thought was just a great
situation. They could come in and see kind of what represented so
many years of my life. To actually see a lot of the physical things,
the awards - two Grammys - the things that I have devoted my life
to doing, I thought it was pretty cool."

Though
the museum is now dormant, its namesake is still very much active -
even at age 75. Daniels and his band still tour extensively. When
calling this writer, The Charlie Daniels Band was on the way to
Oregon "doing typical summertime stuff for us," Daniels said.

Though
he's notched some incredible material awards, Daniels said it's
the personal interaction with fans that means the most to him.

"That's
been part of my life for so long: doing concerts; playing for people;
playing live for people; the instant appreciation that you get; and
all the things that go into making up a career in music," he said.
"That all boils down to being the best part of it, as far as I'm
concerned, is to be able to play your music live in front of people
and have them show you that they appreciate it is a very gratifying
thing. That's my favorite."

Daniels'
stage philosophy is simple: "I firmly believe in doing the songs
that you're known for," he said.

"We
always do the songs that you'd expect us to do - or most of them,
at least," Daniels said. "We always do 'Devil Went Down to
Georgia' and 'Long Haired Country Boy.' You know, 'The Legend
of Wooley Swamp' - the things that people have heard on the
radio. But we've got some surprises for you."

Indeed,
Daniels is far from a one-trick pony. If he just kind of sat idly on
stage, it's a good bet to say his career wouldn't have lasted 50
months, let alone 50 years.

"You
know, I have a lot of people ask me, from time to time, 'What do
you do to have a long career like you've had?' " Daniels said.
"I always tell them, 'Learn to entertain people. Learn to do
something besides just get on stage and sing your song.' "

Only
three of Daniels songs cracked a Billboard Top 10 chart ("Uneasy
Rider," "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" and "Still in
Saigon"). Yet, his band remains one of the top touring acts.
Several thousand are expected to attend Daniels' Sept. 4 "Tuesday
in the Park" concert at Artpark.

"You
have to find your own way. You have to find the buttons that you can
push, and the things that you can do to make people have a good time
every time they come to see you. ... You're not dependent on being
on top of the charts to get people to come to see you," Daniels
said. "Do your thing ... but do something that's going to
separate you from the crowd - from everybody else. Do something
that people are going to say, 'Hey, I want to go see Charlie
Daniels Band the next time they come back to town because I had such
a good time the last time.'

"That's
how you sustain a career is to make people enjoy what you do."

The Charlie Daniels Band performs
Tuesday, Sept. 4, at Artpark. Tickets are $5 through Saturday, and
then $10 until showtime. They are available at the Artpark box
office, 450 S. Fourth St., and online at www.artpark.net.
The opening act is Little Mountain Band. Find the Charlie Daniels
Band online at http://www.charliedaniels.com.

•••••

New
'Tuesday' format a hit

2012
marked the first time Artpark & Company charged patrons a ticket
fee to attend the "Tuesday in the Park" concert series. Shows
ranged in price from $5 to $15.

Artpark
President George Osborne said the new format, which enabled him to
book more appealing acts, was an unquestioned success.

"The
improvements in the amphitheater, coupled with the charging of a
small admission to the Tuesday night concerts, have produced results
that far exceeded our expectations," he said. "We have averaged
8,500 per concert with five shows sold out. The lineup is without a
doubt the strongest we have ever presented on the 'Tuesday in the
Park' series, and the audience response has been overwhelmingly
positive. We are excited about taking this series to the next level
and beyond for 2013, our 40th anniversary season."